Number 106. March of 2007

Barluenga

Small great townbetween Mountain range of Guara and Montearagón Castle

It's a place of Loporzano, in the
province of Huesca. It gets to reach the 50 inhabitants in the
months of summer. Altitude: 673 meters on the level of the sea. It`s
from Huesca 15 kilometers. There are named barluenganos.
It is arrived from capital Huesca
by the highway of Barbastro (N-240) taking deflection at the
left, already surpassed Estrecho Quinto, in the direction of
Loporzano. Once in Sasa del Abadiado, the passage, by
a secondary route, is relatively short. Only 15 kilometers will be enough
altogether, if you leave from Huesca city, outside already of
the Hoya, to be above in somontano (Under Mountains),
for the mountain ranges of Gabardiella and Guara. The
lans stirs up and creates rocky projections that serve to erase monotony
of the landscape.
To the entrance of the town is a term
cross, of century XVIII. Near a source exists, more probably constructed
at the same time.
The urban group is attractive, with
buildings of sillar stone in its majority, own of the characteristics of the
landscape. It emphasizes the tower of the parochial church, in center,
rising in two bodies. It is of principles of century XVI, like the temple,
that is of a ship, with lateral chapels in and the cover with starred
vault, alternating with the one of edge in some of the chapels. .
The parish is dedicated to San Andrés,
although the patron saint of the place is San Gil, who has his
own hermitage also, constructed of a single ship with pointed arcs and
plants rectangular; it is dated in century XVII.
The holidays are celebrated, generally,
the last weekend of the month of August, doing to agree the celebration
with the Friday, Saturday and Sunday days. They begin traditionally
with a serenade, in that all the neighbors participate, and there is
distribution and tasting of cakes and wine. The rest of the celebrations
are made up of Aragonese games, dance sessions f and sport championships.San Miguel has his own hermitage
also, of century XIII, with a rectangular ship of four sections separated
by arcs pointed and beautiful and interesting multicolored coffering
of the century XIV, in which scenes of titular saint are represented.
Barluenga got to count on its own City
council. In century XIX was annexed Chibluco, Sagarillo
and San Julian de Banzo. The increasing depopulation of these
places forced to it, later -1960-1970-, to get up (to join) itself to
Loporzano. Within the municipal term of Barluenga, is
also the population center of Peña de Amán (located Eastern
partly of popular “Salto de Roldán”).

The shadow of the monastery of Montearagón
are extended on these earth, that a day were its dominions. Sancho
Ramirez gave to the monastery the tenths of Barluenga and
Castilsabás, and the Quicena, ville, in May of 1086. Thirteen
years later, in 1099, Pedro I de Aragón confirmed to Montearagón
the church of “Barlonga”.
In August of 1158, Don Esteban
entrusted to himself to Montearagón, contributing his goods,
between which it was a vine of Barluenga. The 18 of Julio of
1188, the Clemente Pope received under his protection the church
and the monastery of Montearagón, appearing between its possessions
the “Valle longa” church (Ubieto Arteta). Historically it is
demonstrated, then, the dominion of the monastery of Montearagón
on the place, confirmed by the sale conducted by Juan I de Aragón,
the 18 of August of 1391. The situation extended until the year 1571,
in which Barluenga passed to depend of the bishopric on Huesca,
as a result of the dismantling of Montearagón.
In a time the inhabitants could be counted
themselves by hundreds. At the moment, in the months of the Summer increases
solely the so decreased population that “sleeps” in Barluenga
or that lives in the place throughout the year. A common phenomenon
to many towns of the province, by which many houses are turned residences
of Summer. Some express this condition, showing proudly his recovered
and improved aspects.

In century XII, concretely in 1126, the
“mosque of Barlonga” is mentioned (Notary public of Fanlo nº
62, p. 298).
The lineage of the Barluenga exists,
"oscensian" family with individuals documented from the century
XVI, whose heraldry arms are a squared shield of silver and gules.
Barluenga was place also where lived
Mr. Luis López Allué, the local customs man of letters of greater
relief in the Literary History of Aragón.